Ronnie Fein

I'm the kind of woman who's always cooking new foods and experimenting with recipes, and yet when the Jewish holidays come I tend to serve the classics (with maybe a few new extras). So for us, Rosh Hashanah dinner usually means matzo ball soup, roasted turkey or chicken (plus sides) with mandelbrot and honey cake for dessert.

But last year when my husband Ed and I were in Potsdam, Germany, we stopped by for a little nosh at a café where I ate the most delicious Apple Kuchen of my entire life. I had to have it again. Because I probably wasn't ever going to be back in Potsdam, I needed a good recipe. I fiddled a few times with an old recipe for crumb cake and after several tries I got the Apple Kuchen just right. This cake is too good to miss, and will become my new go-to dessert for the holidays. It's dairy, but I've got a pareve backup: Applesauce Cake. You can't go wrong with either of these. At least my family thinks so!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13"x9" baking pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the margarine, sugar and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix the flour with the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon peel. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture alternating with the applesauce. Fold in the raisins. Pourthe batter into the pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes then invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely. Makes 12 servings

Heat oil to 350 degrees F in a heavy pot or deep fryerPlace cooked dry chickpeas in food processer and pulse to a small chop or chop by hand. In a bowl combine, chopped chickpeas, chickpea flour, onion, garlic, beaten egg, parsley, and salt. Stir into a nice even mixture; the mixture should hold its shape when its form to a ball.Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnutsFry about 6 balls at once for about 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.Approximately 18-20 fritters

Eileen Goltz is a food writer and host of Slice of Life on NPR. She is the author of the Perfectly Parve Cookbook (Feldheim) and is a contributing writer for the Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Group, Chicago Sun Times, Detroit Free Press and Woman's World Magazine. Visit Eileen at her website: CuisinebyEileen.com.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9X5 bread pan and set it aside. In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 75 to 90 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from the pan and cool on a rack until totally cool. Makes 1 loaf.

Eileen Goltz

Is September National Honey Month because the high holidays always seem to fall SOMEWHERE in September or is it just a happy coincidence? No matter what the answer this is the perfect time to explore that wonderful liquid nectar that our ancestors prized so highly as the perfect food to ensure a sweet new year. The logistics of honey is astounding. Of the typical 50,000 or so bees in a hive they can log in visits to over a million flowers to gather enough nectar to make a pound of honey. The honey of every hive is special and dependent on the types of flora they visit. I've been told that there are over 300 types of honey and the lighter honeys are milder and darker honeys tend to have a stronger flavor. One thing you should know is that all honey will crystallize in time but when you're shopping for it you should know that there are lots of ways you can get your honey fix and serve it with apples:Comb Honey, honey in its original form; and yes the comb is edible. A cut comb is honey with chunks comb in the jar with it. Liquid honey is strained from the comb. Crystallized honey is exactly what it sounds like crystallized honey. One of my favorite, and hardest to find treats, is whipped (creamed) honey. This is a spreadable honey that is soooooo delicious that when I find it, I don't share. What I do share are these special recipes that will enhance any holiday meal

Combine sugar and water in saucepan at medium low heat. The sugar should dilute into the water, cook until the sugar water reduces and begins to brown to a light amber. Turn down the heat to low. Add the pomegranate juice cautiously, then add the pomegranate molasses. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the glaze can coat the back of a spoon (the glaze will thicken when it cools); try not to over reduce.

Preheat oven to 425º F. Heat a Large sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Add 3 tablespoons of canola oil to sauté pan. Season lamb rack with coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Place lamb rack in sauté pan. Cook until nicely browned about 3 minutes. Turn the lamb rack until the all sides are seared. Transfer lamb rack to sheet pan with roasting rack. Place in oven. Roast for 10 minutes. With basting brush, brush pomegranate glaze all over lamb rack and finish in oven until desired temperature. For medium-rare roast for another 2-3 minutes. If you prefer it medium to medium-well, continue roasting for another 3 to 5 minutes. Let the lamb rack rest before slicing.

Heat sauté pan on medium high heat, add oil to the pan. Place peppers and onions in pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic, turn heat off and toss. Set aside.

Fry fritters and set aside for plating. Combine peppers, onions, pickled figs, half of parsley leaf, and cilantro to mixing bowl and toss with some pickling liquid. Place mixture onto large plate, put cut lamb rack on top of mixture, garnish with chickpea fritters and the rest of the parsley and cilantro. Finish with some pomegranate glaze drizzle.

My mother claims there are 356 recipes for rice in Iran—one for every day of the year. (Apparently there are nine fewer days in the Persian calendar. Different story.) This recipe is the one used to commemorate holidays. The potatoes are baked right in, and the rice is flavored with cumin seeds, carrots, and currants. I'm not sure how it got the name orez ha-malachim—rice fit for a king—but it is.

Bring 4 quarts of water and ¼ cup salt to a boil (it may seem like a lot of salt, but the goal is to cook the rice as you would pasta). Meanwhile, rinse the rice in cold water; repeat until the water is clear. Add the rice to the boiling pot and cook until it is almost tender but still crunchy in the middle, 5 to 7 minutes.

Since you're cooking the rice for only about 10 minutes, there will still be plenty of liquid remaining. When the rice is al dente, drain in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold water. Drain completely, and then dump it into a large bowl.

While the rice is cooking, slice the potatoes into ¼-inch thick rounds. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over medium heat. Stir in the turmeric. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer at the bottom of the pot; making sure that all the pieces fit snuggly. Sprinkle a pinch or two of salt over the potatoes. Saute them until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes, then flip them over to cook the other side, about 20 minutes altogether. Remove from the heat.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet then add the carrots, currants, and cumin seeds. Stir frequently and sauté until the carrots are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape the carrot mixture into the bowl of rice and toss to combine. Transfer the rice mixture into the Dutch oven on top of the potatoes, then drape a kitchen towel over the pot to prevent any steam from escaping. Place the lid right over the towel, gather the ends of the towel, and bunch them on top of the lid.

Place the pot over low, low heat and cook until the rice is tender, about 1 hour. You can serve this dish two ways – by inverting the entire pot of rice over onto a large platter or by scooping the rice onto a dish and then placing the potato slices on top. I always hold my breath when I flip the entire pot of rice over, and it doesn't always have a fairy-tale ending. So I usually cheat and go the other route.Serves 4 to 6

Combine the dates, hot water and cinnamon, if using, and steep for 1 hour.Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until very creamy and thick.Store the date honey, covered in the refrigerator for 1 month.

Notes

Recipe: Kosher, parve, side dish, Rosh Hashanah

Laura Frankel is the Executive Chef at Wolfgang Puck Kosher Catering at the Spertus Institute for Jewish studies in Chicago. She is the author of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons (Wiley) and Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes (Wiley), and the former chef and founder of Shallots restaurant. Chef Laura writes for The Jerusalem Post and Bitayavon and Joy of Kosher magazines and is an avid blogger and a passionate farmer's market supporter, giving demos and teaching classes all over the country featuring market produce.

This stylish version of the classic side dish takes center stage with rich fall root veggies and warm toasty spices.The date-honey compliments the vegetables without being too sweet. I serve this as a side for my favorite Pomegranate Chicken Recipe (my own recipe of course!), or with a large salad as a vegetarian meal.

Preheat oven to 325.Place a large Dutch oven or sauté pan, lightly coated with evoo, over medium heat.Sauté the root vegetables, in batches, until they are browned on all sides. Be sure to season each batch with salt and pepper!Add back all the vegetables to the Dutch oven or to a pan with a tight fitting lid. Add the date-honey, raisins, water, spices and salt and pepper.Cover the pan and roast the vegetables about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Uncover the pan and continue cooking until all the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are browned, caramelized and gooey!Serve with chicken, brisket, fish or as an entrée.Garnish with fresh parsley, pomegranate seeds, chopped dates

Notes

Recipe: Kosher, parve, side dish

Laura Frankel is the Executive Chef at Wolfgang Puck Kosher Catering at the Spertus Institute for Jewish studies in Chicago. She is the author of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons (Wiley) and Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes (Wiley), and the former chef and founder of Shallots restaurant. Chef Laura writes for The Jerusalem Post and Bitayavon and Joy of Kosher magazines and is an avid blogger and a passionate farmer's market supporter, giving demos and teaching classes all over the country featuring market produce.